A Cinderella Story
by MelissaIsLame
Summary: Clare Edwards is the quiet girl who gets abused at home. Eli Goldsworthy is the main bad ass attending Degrassi High. What happens when these two start chatting through IM's and have no clue who they are really speaking to?
1. The Life of Clare E

**Author's Note: This story is gonna be like the movie "A Cinderella Story", except slightly different. Okay, a lot different. The characters are out of character, seeing that I'm using the Degrassi cast. Hope you enjoy. **

_Clare Edwards was an only child. She was raised by her mother, since her father passed away when she was little. Clare and her mother had a good relationship. Clare had her regular curfew to follow along with the set of chores that her and her mother would split up. Other than that, all was well in the Edwards household...or so she thought._

_Soon after Jr. High, Clare's mother re-married a man named Ryan. He seemed like a decent guy, but when Clare's mother was away, Ryan was abusive towards Clare. He hit Clare once, but when a bruise formed, he figured that Clare would run out of excuses to tell her mother. He still abused Clare, but he stuck with verbal abuse, making Clare feel like she was worthless. _

_After a couple of years of marriage, Clare's mother came down with a mysterious illness. She was on bed rest for a couple of months before she ended up passing away. Since Clare was still a minor, her step-father got custody of her. Clare had no-one to protect her. The only person she had was her best friend, Adam._

**Clare's POV**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

I slowly opened my eyes, glancing at my alarm clock. It read 5:30 AM. I never used to wake up this early, but ever since my mom died, I've taken over every household chore. One of those now included waking up every morning and making Ryan breakfast. If he didn't have his breakfast, he'd lose his temper and I was always the punching bag. I quickly shut off my alarm and jumped into the shower. I took a little while longer in the shower than I had expected. My bruises were still sore and it hurt to wash over them. I got dressed and made my way downstairs to start on the breakfast.

I cracked open a few eggs into a pan and scrambled them. I threw eight slices of bacon into another pan and watched as the grease sizzled and popped. I knew Ryan would be down in a bit, so I put on a pot of coffee. After the coffee finished brewing, on cue, Ryan appeared in the kitchen. "Smells great, kiddo!" Ryan smiled as he took a seat at the table.

Mornings were always my favorite. Ryan always started off in a good mood, but by the time I got home from school, it was gone. I quickly served Ryan a plate and poured him some coffee. I then made myself a plate and sat down next to him, eating quietly.

"So.." I started off slowly. "I should be getting to school."

"Yeah, you should. Be home right after school or I'll take your car away." Ryan spoke as he walked away from the table. I didn't bother replying to him. No need to set him off this early in the morning. I rinsed off the dishes we dirtied and put them into the dishwasher.

Grabbing my backpack, I slid into my shoes and headed out the front door.

_Honk, Honk!_

I sat outside the Torres' Residence waiting for my best friend to come out. Drew was the first to emerge from the house.

"Hey there, Clare." Drew smiled brightly at me. "You think you can give me a ride to school?"

"Sure thing, you just have to ride in the back. Adam always rides shotgun." I explained while walking to the passenger side.

"No problem." Drew said as he pulled me into a hug. I grimaced at Drew's grip got tighter around my body. He noticed and quickly let go. "I'm so sorry." Drew mumbled his apology.

Being Adam's brother, Drew knew my life story. Drew felt sorry for me, but he was also proud of me. If I remember correctly, Drew once told me I had a set of balls for putting up with an asshole like Ryan. I smiled at the memory and pushed all of my stuff to one side so Drew could sit down. Adam soon emerged from the house. "Mooching a ride off of Clare again?" Adam mumbled as he sat in the passenger seat. Drew smacked Adam across the back of his head and I quietly laughed to myself, driving away.

"Hey Clare, mind stopping at The Dot?" Adam yawned. "I could really use a 'pick me up coffee'."

"Sure, we still have half an hour to kill before school starts." I said while parking my car across the street from The Dot. The three of us got out and walked in. We each took a seat on a stool at the front counter and waited for someone to take out order.

"Well, well. If it isn't my three favorite customers!" Emma greeted us. "Are you ordering the regular? Three coffees and three blueberry muffins?"

"Yes Ma'am." Adam replied.

We waited patiently for our order and it wasn't long before Emma came out with it. "Enjoy!"

I ate my muffin and drank my coffee in silence. Adam and Drew were too busy cracking jokes, we lost track of time. Right as I pulled out my phone to check the time, it vibrated: _One New Text Message._ I opened my phone and read the text message silently to myself: _'After school, pick up my clothes from the dry cleaners. Then come straight home.-Ryan'_ I sighed as I shoved my phone back into my pocket.

"What's wrong? Step-daddy already pissed?" Drew questioned.

"Nahh, just spending money **HE **doesn't have." I half-smiled.

"He's still dipping into the money your parents left you?" Adam whispered. "When is that low life gonna learn to be an adult?"

"Yes..and I wish I knew! Anyway, we have ten minutes left. Let's go to school." I quickly changed the subject.

We made it to the Degrassi parking lot with five minutes to spare. I spotted an empty parking space and started to make my way towards it. Like a bat out of hell, a black Volvo sped right into the space I had my eyes on. I slammed on my brakes and watched as Bianca, Alli and Holly J stepped out of the vehicle. They were the three mean girls of Degrassi High. I sighed in frustration as they laughed and pointed in our direction.

"Hey, empty spot right across from them." Drew tapped on my shoulder and pointed towards it. I turned the steering wheel in that direction, only to be cut off yet again. This time, it was a black hearse that had scream-o music blaring from the inside. None other than Eli, Fitz and Owen stepped out; the three bad boys of Degrassi. I got caught up on staring at the boys, I almost didn't hear Bianca yelling at me. "Virgin Mary, Nuns park behind the school."

She wrapped her arm around Eli's waist and continued to laugh. I glanced one last time at the group before driving off and my eyes caught on with Eli's. He shook his head and quickly looked away. It was almost as if he felt sorry for me.

**Well, is it any good? If you think I should continue this story, please let me know. If not, then I know this was an EPIC FAIL! The next chapter should include the details of Eli's life and then pick up right where this chapter left off. If you wanna read more, review!**


	2. The Life of Elijah G

**Author's Note: I'm glad you guys liked the story! I was scared that no-one would like it :) You all made my day/night. Also, I'm aware that the pairings in this story are..weird, but I had to pair them up that way. If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you watch it.**

_Elijah Goldsworthy was an only child. His mother had abandoned him when he was a baby, leaving him to be raised by his father, Chet. Chet was your average father, except he had one problem. Alcohol. Elijah grew up basically taking care of his father. Every night, Elijah would have to carry him off to bed and tuck his father in. By day, Chet fixed cars and was praised by everyone in town. But by night, he was downing bottles of alcohol just so he could black out._

_When Elijah became of age that he could work part time, he helped out at his father's shop. He knew the day would come when he had to put all his dreams aside and help out at home. His father eventually took interest in Elijah's handy work and he toned down his drinking habit. That's when Elijah found himself in a pickle. When Elijah was helping out at home, his father was happy and didn't drink as much. But that's not what Elijah wanted. Elijah had dreams of his own. He wanted to go to college and do something with his life. He didn't want to stay in his dad's shadow for forever._

_The only escape Elijah had was his mysterious IM buddy and school. But even school was becoming too much to handle. The friends he surrounded himself with were quickly getting on his nerve. He didn't know why he spent so much time with them._

**Eli's POV**

I don't know why I surrounded myself with the people I call my best friends and my girlfriend. They're so self absorbed, they truly don't care if they hurt anyone's feelings. After Bianca's little stunt in the parking lot, I wished the day would hurry up and end. I don't know much about who the girl was, but she didn't deserve any of Bianca's crap. Hell, no-one deserved any of it.

I sat quietly in my Media Immersion class debating if I should sign onto Chat. Curiosity got the best of me and I logged on. _Score! _My new friend was on.

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Hey there, skipping school today?_

I sent the IM hoping she would reply back. _Ping!_

**BlueEyes17: **_I could say the same to you, Mister! Bored much?_

I smirked as I typed my response.

**GreenEyedPunk: **_I'm IM'ing the most amazing person ever! How could I be bored? _

**GreenEyedPunk: **_How's your day so far?_

**BlueEyes17: **_Just perfect. Just your average day at Degrassi High! Yours?_

I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw she attended Degrassi High. I've been talking to her for a while, but not once did I ask her what school she went to.

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Degrassi, eh? What would you say if I told you I attended Degrassi as well?_

**BlueEyes17: **_I'd say cool! And that we better log off. Class is about to end._

Before I could type my response, she quickly signed off and the bell rang.

Time passed by fast and soon, it was lunch time. I sat at one of the picnic tables outside and Fitz and Owen joined me. They were being their usual selves and were planning their next scheme to take down some poor kid. I had zoned out for a bit, but was quickly brought back down to reality when a french fry hit me on the side of my head.

"Bro, what's up with you?" Fitz questioned as he bit into his burger. "You've been acting distant lately."

"Nothing." I sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind. Making kids lives hell isn't really on my agenda."

Owen rolled his eyes, grabbed his tray and stood up. "Well, we'll leave you here alone to sort out your priorities."

With that said, Fitz and Owen left me alone. I sighed in frustration while pulling out my phone to check the time. Where was my new friend when I needed someone to calm me down. I signed onto my mobile chat and sent her a quick message. Hopefully she had mobile alerts.

**GreenEyedPunk: **_I miss talking to you!_

I sent the IM and waited patiently. I knew I had a girlfriend, but flirting with this girl came natural. It felt...right.

**BlueEyes17: **_We talked this morning :)_

**GreenEyedPunk: **_That was forever ago. Tell me, what's on your mind?_

**BlueEyes17: **_Well, right now I'm thinking someone threw one too many lemons at Chantay!_

I grinned as I read her message. Why would someone throw lemons at another person. I glanced up just in time to see Chantay pass by with another student. She was clearly upset and ranting something about lemons. I guess they really did throw a lemon at her. I was about to type back my reply when it hit me. If we both could see the same person, she must be near by. I scanned every picnic table to see if anyone was on their phone. Luck wasn't on my side today. It seemed everyone was on their phone. Dammit!

**Clare's POV**

It's been a couple of days since I found out my new friend went to the same school I did. I was standing behind the counter at The Dot, wiping off any crumbs that stayed behind. The bell jingled above the door, signaling that someone had entered. I didn't bother to see who it was.

"Clare, do you mind taking their order? We're pretty swamped right now!" Emma practically begged.

"Yeah, I'll do it. I just need a ticket book." I reached under the counter and grabbed me one. I scanned the place trying to find what table I had to attend to. My stomach was soon consumed by hundreds of butterflies. Of all the people Emma had me serve, I had to serve these people. I pushed aside all my nerves and headed for the back table.

"What can I get you guys?" I muttered, keeping my eyes on the ticket book.

"Aye, virgin mary! I'll take a burrito wrap." Owen smiled.

"And I'll take a chocolate milkshake." Bianca added as she twirled a piece of her hair with her finger.

The two girls with Bianca snickered and popped their gum. I rolled my eyes at how obnoxious these people were and went to go retrieve their order.

**Eli's POV**

Ugh! I swear, girls could be so obnoxious sometimes. So can the guys, but I'll have a talk with them later.

"Bianca, we need to talk." I mumbled as I leaned closer to her. "In private."

"Oh Elijah." I cringed as she used my full name. "Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of our friends." Bianca grinned.

Everyone scooted in closer to us and it seemed like the whole place got quiet.

"I wanna break up." I quickly stated.

Bianca's eyes went wide with shock. "What?" She half-shouted. "You can't break up with me. Not two days before the Halloween Dance! Is there another girl?"

"Yes!" I said without thinking.

"What? Bro, no way. Who is she?" Fitz patted me on my back.

Before I could answer Fitz, Bianca cut me off.

"You know what? I'm gonna forget this talk ever happened and pretend your meltdown never happened either. I'm gonna go home and think of costume ideas. I'll see you at the dance."

With that being said, Bianca, her two minions, Fitz and Owen got up and left. Before exiting, Bianca pushed past our waitress and knocked the milkshake down the front of her apron. I quickly rushed over to the waitress and apologized. I took out a ten dollar bill and attempted to pay for my friends stupidity, but she declined.

"Uhh, no problem. It's on me." She pushed my hand away and turned around. I smirked at her as she walked away. She was too kind for her own good.

**I'm sorry if I let you people down with this chapter. I misplaced my spiral that had my stories in it :( Ughh, the next chapters might take longer to be put up. Sorry! Review please, let me know what's good and what sucks.**


	3. Worthless, but Lovable

**Author's Note: Okay, for serious, the next chapters might take a little while longer to be put up. This chapter was a pain to write, it was long :) Hopefully you like it. **

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Did someone fall asleep on me?_

**GreenEyedPunk: **_You haven't replied yet!_

**BlueEyes17: **_Geez, can't a girl use her bathroom in peace? Haha, where were we?_

**BlueEyes17: **_Oh yes, I remember...Does your father know that you want to get out of town and start a future of your own?_

**GreenEyedPunk: **_No, I can't tell him. I'm afraid he's gonna over react and drink himself to death._

**BlueEyes17: **_I'm sorry. Wish there was something I could do._

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Don't we all. Well, Blue, it's 2AM. We should get some sleep._

**BlueEyes17: **_I was just about to say that! Well, I'll talk to you another night..?_

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Wait! …_

**BlueEyes17: **_Yeah? …_

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Meet me at the dance tomorrow night? Or shall I say later on tonight!_

**GreenEyedPunk: **_Don't give me your answer now, just say you'll think about it._

**BlueEyes17: **_Okay..._

**Clare's POV**

I was smiling like a fool while I was waiting for my laptop to power off. The boy I've been IM'ing and developed a tiny crush on, wanted to meet me. There were hundreds of emotions coursing through my veins, but the one that stuck out the most was fear. Fear that I would be let down by some guy I met online. And fear that this could just be a cruel joke. In the midst of all my thoughts, my door creaked open.

"What do we have here?" Ryan stumbled into my room.

"Nothing. I was just going back to bed." I shoved my laptop under the covers.

"Don't lie to me, Clare! I heard you clicking away on the keyboard." Ryan sneered. "You were supposed to be in bed over five hours ago."

I opened my mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by Ryan's ranting. "You're worthless, Clare. No-one loves you, not anymore. The only people who did love you, abandoned you."

Tears threatened to flow down my cheeks as I whispered, "That's not true."

"What was that? Are you crying? I'll give you something to cry about!" Ryan shouted.

He rushed over to my bed and grabbed a fist full of my hair. Dragging me off of my bed, he threw me to the ground. I tried to crawl away from him, but that only earned me a swift kick to my stomach. I clutched my stomach trying to hold back my sobs, but failed miserably. I guess I sobbed a little too loudly because as I layed there, Ryan kicked me again and again. Soon blackness invaded my vision and I became numb.

I awoke on my bedroom floor. Remembering last nights events, I slowly picked myself up and observed the damage. Getting undressed slowly, I put the water on full blast. The water was steaming hot, but I didn't mind. I took my sweet time getting dressed. While putting my dirty clothes in the hamper, the red light from my alarm clock caught my attention. 2:15 PM. Crap!

I practically flew down the stairs, afraid that Ryan would be pissed. I was shocked to see he was calm and relaxing on the sofa. He was too caught up in whatever TV program he was watching. Ryan peered up from the sofa. "Oh, so you're finally awake. Rough night last night?" he smirked.

"Um, y-yeah." I stuttered. "I'm gonna head over to The Dot. I need to pick up a couple of shifts."

"Okay. What time are you gonna be home? I have poker tonight with the boys. Take your key, I'll be home at 1AM." Ryan stated.

"Sure. My shift is over at midnight." I grabbed my house key and took off walking.

Throughout my walk to work, Adam was constantly texting me. I told him about my new bruises and he seemed bummed out. Then he quickly cheered up when I told him that my mystery guy wanted to meet me at the dance.

It was nearing 9PM when Adam walked into The Dot. I was wiping down tables when a set of keys jingled in front of my face.

"Guess who got the keys to his mom's mustang?" Adam sang.

I glanced at Adam and almost laughed at him. He was dressed as a vampire. His hair was slicked back and his make-up made him look really pale. His fangs looked pretty realistic, though. The only thing that made his costume laughable was his cape. Why doe boys always wanna wear a cape? While I was silently laughing at Adam's costume, my phone went off: _New IM._

I quickly opened it and read it.

**GreenEyedPunk: **_If you're up for it, meet me in the glass room at 11PM. Hope to see you there._

I groaned as I shoved my phone in my pocket. I completely forgot about meeting him.

"Is that your mystery boy toy? Hurry up, Let's get going!" Adam squealed.

"Mystery boy toy?" Emma laughed. "How cute."

"Yes and he wants to meet her, tonight at the dance." Adam grinned.

"Chill, Adam." I mumbled. "I can't go. I have no costume, I have to work and I have to be home before Ryan gets home."

"What would you say if I told you I had the perfect costume sitting upstairs, that you could keep!" Emma grinned. "And that I'll cover your shift."

"That's awesome, but I still have the Ryan situation." I said while drying off some glasses.

"Set the alarm on your phone." Adam beamed.

"Ugh! Fine." I gave in.

**Eli's POV**

Waiting in the school gym was making me nervous. The Halloween committee really went all out for this dance. There were giant black spheres hanging from the ceiling and orange and black streamers falling everywhere. The DJ booth had purple and white strobe lights going crazy and smoke covered the dance floor. I ran into Bianca by the double doors, but quickly turned around before she spotted me. Bianca wore an angel outfit. Pshh, she should be wearing devil horns, not angel wings.

I walked near the bar and grabbed a drink to calm my nerves. Owen and Fitz strutted over to me.

"What the hell, man? What happened to us wearing matching costumes?" Owen poked me in the chest.

"Sorry, bro. Guess I didn't get that memo." I laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. What are you supposed to be? Romeo?" Owen rolled his eyes.

"Nah, more like Prince Charming." I smirked.

Owen and Fitz were rambling about something stupid, when all of a sudden they just stopped. I looked at their faces and followed their gaze to the entrance. There stood the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She stood at the entrance with some person I didn't know. It was as if she walked straight out of a dark fairytale. A spot light shone on her and we all got a better look at her.

Her dress was a strapless black ball gown. The top of the gown was fitted almost like a corset. It was beaded everywhere and shimmered in the light. The bottom of the dress was poofed out and covered in something that looked like lace. She wore a mini black mast that covered only her eyes. There was no way I could figure out her identity. I laughed to myself as I watched her pick up the front of her dress and walk. Instead of wearing some fancy girl shoes, she wore black and white low top converse. God, who was this beautiful girl.

**Clare's POV**

"Gosh, Adam. I don't see why you didn't just let me wear your cape." I whined as we walked into the dance.

"Get over it, Clare. You look beautiful." Adam smiled. "Now, make sure you have your alarm set for midnight."

"Already set. Wish me luck." I fake smiled.

It was almost 11PM, so I made my way towards the glass room. It looked quite creepy if I must say so myself. It was a plain glass room that had benches against each window. The benches were lined with candles, casting off a soft glow. I took one last deep breath and walked in. I kept my concentration on one of the candles when I heard footsteps behind me.

"It must be fate that I find the most beautiful girl waiting all alone for me." The voice filled the empty room.

I smiled and turned around to see who was talking. "KC? You're GreenEyedPunk?" I uttered in complete shock.

"I'm whoever you want me to be." He evilly smirked.

I was so confused. How could my mysterious new friend be KC? KC was a total douchebag. I stopped rambling to myself when I felt KC get closer to me. I gasped and jumped back."I..uh..need something to drink. You should go get that for me."

"Of course." KC smiled and walked out of the room. As KC disappeared, I faced the back window and gave up all hope.

"I knew this was too good to be true." I whispered to myself.

"BlueEyes?" A voice from behind me questioned.

I spun around and my eyes went wide with shock. "Eli? You're GreenEyedPunk?"

"Yeah. I guess my costume didn't hide who I was, huh?" He nervously chuckled.

"No. I know exactly who you are. I'm sorry, but I have to go." I quickly walked towards the door.

"Please! Just please give me a chance." Eli begged.

"Fine, but only for a bit." I bit my lip.

I watched as Eli moved the candles off of one bench and placed them on another. He then gestured for me to sit down.

"So, what do you wanna do?" I said while looking at the floor.

"How about we play twenty questions?" Eli mentioned.

"I'll give you five questions." I grinned.

"Fine. I'll take what I can get." Eli chuckled. "You do actually go to Degrassi, right?"

"Of course!" I said while lightly swatting his shoulder.

"Just had to be sure. You could've been some crazy stalker." He chuckled again. "If I guess correctly who you are, will you tell me if I'm right?" Eli asked.

"Hmm, probably not." I stated as I stood and walked to the other side of the room.

"Okay." He stated as he stood as well. "Were you disappointed when you found out who I was?" Be honest."

"Surprisingly, no." I blushed.

Eli took a step closer to me. "Will you dance with me?"

"Eli, there's no music." I mused.

I watched as Eli's smile grew even wider and he reached into his back pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and was scrolling through something. He dropped his phone into his front pocket and closed the gap between us. It was then I heard the soft instrumentals of a song playing. He put one of my hands on his shoulder and held my other hand with his at eye level. We saw orange and purple lights turn on above us and wondered how they flicked on by themselves. We turned around and saw Ms. Dawes creeping away. God bless that woman.

_When I see your smile, tears roll down my face I can't replace._

_And now that I'm strong I have figured out, how this world turns cold_

_and it breaks through my soul and I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one._

We swayed back and forth to the music and occasionally, Eli would spin me and dip me. As I came back up from the second dip, Eli slowly reached for my mask to remove it. I jumped back slightly and he apologized.

_I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever.._

_I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven._

We got back into our dancing groove and I layed my head on his shoulder. Eli backed away from me and went around the room blowing out each candle. The only lighting we had left was coming from the purple and orange lights. We stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"I still have one question left." Eli smirked. "Do you, BlueEyes, ever want to see me again after tonight?"

I took a couple of seconds before I answered, "I do."

Eli's eyes lit up in the only lighting we had. He slowly reached up for my mask again. It was now or never. Just as his fingers brushed the bottom of my mask, my alarm went off.

"Ugh! Now now." I sighed.

"What? You have curfew or something?" I could practically hear the hurt in Eli's voice.

"Something like that. I'm sorry." Without explaining any further, I ran into the gym. I searched for Adam as I ran. He was my ride back home.

I saw a couple making out heavily near me. I was about to turn away when I noticed the cape. Adam! I grabbed him by hear ear and pulled him away. He was making out with none other than Bianca. Gross!

"We need to go now! It's midnight." I shouted over the loud music.

We ran as fast as we could out of the High School. We were nearing Adam's car when I noticed my mask was missing. The string must have busted and it fell off.

**Eli's POV**

Damn! I was so close to finding out who she was. I scanned the entire school for her, but turned up empty handed. I was walking down the front steps of Degrassi, when I saw a black mask on the ground.

"Haha, this is so cliché!" I mumbled to myself.

**I must really love you guys. This chapter was long to write out, then type up. I hope I didn't disappoint you. I'd love to hear your thoughts. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	4. Secret's Out

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Killer headaches are a real pain in the ass. This chapter came as a disappointment to me. Don't hate me too much.**

**Clare's POV**

"Spill it, Torres!" I pointed my finger straight in his face. "How exactly did you come around to sucking face with Bianca?"

"Well.." Adam blushed. "I was standing there, minding my own business, when I heard Bianca struggling against someone. I found out where she was and found that jerk, Owen, trying to force himself on her. On thing led to another and I basically kicked his ass."

"Still doesn't explain the sucking face part." I muttered as I wiped down the counter at The Dot.

"Let's just say, the make-out was her way of saying 'Thank You'." Adam grinned.

Adam was going on and on about the Halloween dance, I zoned him out most of the time. I was still processing the fact that Eli Goldsworthy was GreenEyedPunk. He was sweet and somewhat flirtatious through IM, yet at school, he was the complete opposite. He was labeled a 'bad boy', drove a hearse, hung out with the meanest people and he had a girlfriend. There was no flippin' way that this was possible.

"Earth to Clare!" Adam bellowed. "Snap out of it."

"What!" I snapped a bit too harshly at Adam. He sunk back into his chair slightly.

"You promised to tell me, remember? I told you about my make-out session with Bianca, you now tell me who your mysterious friend was."

"Well.." I lowered my voice a bit. "My IM buddy turned out to be Eli Goldsworthy."

Adam's jaw dropped. "No way! Does he know you were his Gothic Cinderella?"

"No, and I don't think I should tell him. If he found out it was me, he'd probably die of laughter." I sighed.

"Clare, you're beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have you. Besides, now's your chance. GreenEyes just waltzed in." Adam smirked.

My head snapped up and immediately shot towards the door. In walked Eli and he took a stool towards the end of the counter. Crap! I tried to busy myself so I wouldn't have to take his order, when I noticed Emma and Adam out of the corner of my eye. Emma was on her way to take Eli's order when Adam caught her attention. He mouthed _boy toy_ and pointed to Eli, then back to me. Emma laughed and nudged me in Eli's direction. I'm so gonna kill Adam later, I thought to myself. Slowly making my way towards Eli, I took out my ticket book.

"Uh, can I get you anything?" I asked.

Eli didn't seem phased by my question. He stayed there, silently strumming his fingers against the counter top. I gave him a minute and when he didn't answer, I tried to walk away.

"You know what I hate?" Eli's voice finally rang out.

I was caught off guard by his sudden question, I didn't reply, only stared. Eli took my silence as a _no_ and continued to speak.

"I hate people...who think their shit don't stink. You know, the people who think they're better than everyone else."

I snorted at his comment. "Not to come off as rude, but you hang out with those exact people. Hell, your girlfriend is one of those people."

"That's not entirely true." Eli smirked. "There no longer is a girlfriend. Hasn't been since before the Halloween dance."

It was somewhere after the no girlfriend statement that I got lost in his eyes. I was in and out of our conversation, but Eli barely noticed. He was too busy laughing and making snarky comments. This was the side that has been hiding all this time. He wasn't the bad boy that everyone made him out to be. He was the sweet, funny guy that I knew as GreenEyedPunk. Maybe Adam was right, maybe I should tell him that I'm BlueEyes, or his Gothic Cinderella as Adam put it earlier.

"Eli, can I tell you something?" I shyly asked.

"Sure. Spit it out." Eli grinned.

"I'm Bl-"... "Clare!" A voice cut me off. I turned to the voice and saw that it was Ryan.

"One second." I practically begged.

"No, now!" Ryan seemed angry.

I glanced back at Eli and he shot me a smile. "It's cool. I have to go, anyways." Eli stood up and started to walk away. Before exiting, he stopped and turned towards me. "By the way, Clare. Thanks! For letting me vent to you." Eli smiled.

Gosh, that smile was so contagious. He should show it off more often. With that last smile, Eli walked away. So much for telling who I am.

**Bianca's POV**

I can't believe this little bitch is trying to steal my man. Well, he's technically not my man at the moment, but he's still mine. I also can't believe it was that freak, Adam, who saved me from Owen. Or the fact that I made out with him/her. Ugh, this is so confusing, but he/she was a really good kisser. Gross! I still couldn't believe, that within twenty minutes, I found all of this out. I mean, I figured they would've spotted me sitting in my booth behind Adam. Apparently, they didn't because they just kept on talking.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Alli's number. After the third ring, she picked up.

"Hello?" Alli answered.

"Alli, it's Bee. I need your help with something." I stated.

"Sure. What's up?" Alli sighed into the phone.

"I need you to find out anything you can on Clare Edwards." I said as I popped a french fry into my mouth.

"Ohh.." Alli chuckled. "Working on destroying a reputation?"

"Something like that." I smirked into the phone.

"Alright. I'll see what I can get. Bye."

"Bye."

**Clare's POV**

_**Next day at School.**_

School was the last place I wanted to be at. But after last night, I didn't exactly wanna be at home either. It was the nastiest fight Ryan and I ever been in. Punches were thrown, kicks were kicked and glass was thrown. Luckily, nothing damaged my face. If cuts and bruises were below the neck, I could easily hide them. It was a pretty hot day, but I needed something to cover the cuts on my arms, as well as the bruises. I pulled a jean jacket over my shirt and prepared for the rest of the day. The day progressed somewhat fast until lunch came around. Adam wanted to sit outside today. I followed, not really in the mood to put up an argument. He led us to one table and sat down, already starting to eat his lunch.

At the table behind him, I noticed a large group of people. Sitting behind our table was Bianca, Alli, Drew, Holly J, Fitz, Owen and Eli. Eli spotted me, gave me a half-smile and quickly looked away. My eyes then wandered over to Bianca and she gave me the most devious smirk I've ever seen. I set my tray down and started to eat. After about ten minutes of silence, a half-eaten apple landed on our table. I heard snickering from behind us and knew exactly where it came from. Two minutes later, an empty soda can landed next to me. That's it!

"What's wrong with you?" I shrieked.

Everyone at the table, except for Drew and Eli, were laughing.

"What? Little Miss Cinderella upset cause she lost her glass slipper? Or shall I say black mask? Is that why you're so grumpy? Hmm, Clare? Or is daddy still beating you?" Bianca sneered.

"I-I don't know w-what you're talking about." I stuttered.

How the hell did this girl know these things. No-one knew about my mask except for Adam. As for my abuse issue, only a select few knew about that. I stole a quick glance at Eli and he looked shocked. I think it finally hit him and he now knew who I was.

"Of course you know what I'm talking about." Bianca continued. "Your little friend, Drew over here, spilled everything. Alli used her womanly assets to persuade him."

I glared daggers at Drew and mouthed an _I'm Sorry_. I zoned out for a bit cause I really wasn't in the mood to hear her ramble.

I finally got fed up and did the last thing I expected myself to do.

"You know what Bianca? Just shut up. Yes..I know I have a shitty life, no need to rub it in." I shot back at her. I went off on her, telling her much of a low-life she really was. I got so heated that Adam attempted to pull me away from the table. In the midst of all my ranting, Adam grabbed me by my jacket and pulled. I stood my ground, but unfortunately my jacket sleeve didn't. My arm came out of my sleeve and everybody gasped. They all got a show of my bruised and cut up arm. Jaws dropped and silence fell over everyone. Looking into Eli's eyes, I saw pain and hurt. He stood up and started to walk away.

"Eli..please.." I started.

"Just don't. Don't Clare.." Eli shook his head and walked away.

**Awww, sorry to leave you on a sad note. Hopefully my headaches go away and I can finish this story tomorrow. REVIEW? :)**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I realize some people are confused about why everyone would go silent after seeing Clare's bruised and cut arm. Making fun of someone's abuse is entirely different from actually seeing it. So when they saw Clare's arm, reality hit them all and they realized that it was real. Therefore, setting them all into a silence.  
**


	5. Claiming What's Mine

**Author's Note: So, I know I confused a lot of you with the last chapter. Let me explain. When Bianca was talking shit to Clare about her mask and abuse, the abuse part was only meant to get under her skin. Bianca didn't really take it seriously, but when reality hit them and everyone saw Clare's arm, they were shocked. As for Eli, no Eli wasn't mad. Just..well..read to find out.**

**With that being said, here's the final chapter. Sorry if it's a let down :(**

**Clare's POV**

"Clare, tell me again how you busted your lip?" Adam questioned.

"I told you, I walked into a door." I muttered.

"No you didn't." Adam snorted. "I've walked into plenty of doors. None have ever busted my lip."

"Adam, you already know how I got this." I pointed to my bruised lip. "Don't make me go into detail."

"Okay, then mind telling me why he took a chance and damaged the face?" Adam spooned another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"He was pissed because I was upset about yesterday. He said something about giving me a reason to cry." I pushed my ice cream away.

Adam and I were sitting at _Honey's. _It's a local ice cream shop that just so happens to be across the street from Eli's dads auto shop. I hadn't spotted him til' about five minutes ago. His hearse pulled up and majority of his friends got out. Fitz, Alli, Owen and Holly J. Great, just what I needed.

"So, tell me Adam, am I stupid for doing what I'm about to do?" I asked while fidgeting with my phone.

Adam laughed, "Majorly! But it needs to be done if you wanna move on."

With one last gulp, I slid my chair back and walked outside. I checked both ways before crossing the street. My eyes wandered over to the picnic table where everyone was sitting at. There was an older man sitting in a chair next to them. Oh, this is gonna be harder than I thought. I strutted up to the table and let my thoughts flow from me.

"Don't talk, just listen." I began. "I know yesterday was a total shock for you. I didn't mean for you to find out that way. Believe me, I tried telling you who I was before, but the timing always got interrupted."

I paused for a moment trying to catch my breath. Everyone remained quiet and was staring at me. Possibly because I was now sporting a busted lip, when yesterday, I wasn't.

"I know the Eli I know is somewhere in you. You're not the total bad ass that everyone thinks you are. You're someone who has dreams of his own. You don't wanna be stuck here for the rest of you life. I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna sit here and wait for that person to show up."

With that being said, I shoved my hands into my back pockets and walked away. As I walked back into Honey's, Adam had a chocolate sundae with extra sprinkles waiting for me.

"Feel better now?" Adam forced a smile.

"Yeah. Tons." I said as I dove into my sundae.

The door to Honey's swung open and in walked the last person I'd ever thought would run after me. Alli.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Alli seemed sad.

"Look, if you're gonna start drama, then just leave." Adam answered for me.

"No, I promise I'm not." Alli held her hands up in defense. "Look, Clare. I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't really think Bianca would use the info I gave her. We didn't really believe Drew to begin with and then when we saw your arm..well.."

"I get it. You feel bad." I mumbled. "What's done is done."

Alli sighed in frustration, but quickly covered it up. "I really am sorry." Alli stood from her chair and left.

**Eli's POV**

Wow! Did that really just happen? Did Clare just tell me off in front of my dad and friends? I wanted to smile when I saw Clare walking towards me, but her busted lip caught my attention. She just kept ranting and ranting, she never gave me a chance to explain. As Alli went after Clare, for what reason I do not know, the rest of the group dispersed so I could speak with my dad.

"Do you mind telling me what all that was about?" Chet broke the silence.

"That was Clare." I spoke while staring at the ground. "I've been chatting with her through IM. She knows me, the real me that I haven't shown anyone before." My eyes stayed glued to the ground, afraid to see any anger my dad might be feeling.

"So, you have dreams of your own, huh?" Chet said while leaning forward in his chair.

"Yeah, I do. Don't get me wrong, dad. I like seeing you happy and helping around here, but it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life." I was gonna continue and tell my dad more, but I saw Clare walk out of Honey's. I had to make things right. It was now or never.

My dad chuckled and put his hand on my knee. "Go talk to her, son."

After smiling my _Thank You_ to my dad, I ran across the street and stopped in front of Clare.

"Eli? What are you doing?" Clare looked confused.

"Look, I know yesterday was a bad day, but I can explain. I wasn't upset or anything. Seeing the cuts and bruises just made everything seem so very real. I thought Bianca was just making up everything she was saying. I got excited when I realized you were BlueEyes. At least I now know why you chose that screen name." I stated while pushing her hair out of her eyes. "As it dawned on me that you were really her, it also hit me that Bianca wasn't lying. It was hard to see you like that, all bruised. I almost broke down in front of everyone. No-one deserves to be beaten. Especially you! You seem to have this perfect life and you're always so happy. I couldn't believe it was true, I couldn't stand to be there anymore." I finished talking.

I stood there opening myself up in public. Waiting for her to respond was excruciating.

"That's just it, Eli. You're still that person that everyone at school knows. You're afraid to open up in front of anyone and show your true self. I'm not gonna sit here and wait for him." Clare shoved her hands in her pockets.

"I am that person, Clare. I'm not afraid anymore. You don't have to wait for anything. I'm here."

I could see a small smile trying to form on her lips, but she wouldn't give in. There's only one way to let her know I'm being serious. I closed the gap between us and crushed my lips over hers. I noticed Clare flinched a little, so I applied less pressure onto her lips. Before pulling out of the kiss, I felt Clare smile. I gently placed a small kiss on her cut and backed away.

"Yeah, get some!" I heard Clare's friend, Adam, whistle.

Clare nervously chuckled and bowed her head.

"So, mind telling me how this happened?" My thumb gently brushed under her cut lip. "It wasn't there yesterday."

Clare sighed and replayed last nights events to me.

**Clare's POV**

After telling Eli what happened, he seemed kind of pissed. He said something about _no man has the right to raise his hand against a woman. _His father, Chet, felt the same way. After re-telling my story for Eli's father and showing him all the cuts and bruises, he was fuming. After multiple questions on why I stayed and put up with it, they came up with a plan. I didn't like being abused, but I couldn't leave that house. I grew up in there. There were so many memories I didn't want to leave behind.

After a ten minute drive, we ended up at my house. Eli and Chet took me home. Ryan was sitting outside as if he was waiting for me or something. I climbed out of the hearse and as I was walking up the sidewalk, Ryan stopped me.

"Did you seriously just bring a boy to the house?" Ryan took a step towards me. As I took a step backwards, Ryan took another forward. Ryan grabbed me by my collar and dragged me towards the house.

"If you know what's best for you, you'll let her go right now!" A voice boomed from behind us. Ryan stopped dragging me and we both turned to see Chet standing there. Eli was standing behind him, smiling.

"You have no right to tell me what to do. This is my kid and my house. Get lost." Ryan shot back.

"As far as I know, you're only the step-dad. One who abuses his step-daughter. Now, if I'm correct, abuse is a serious crime." Chet smirked. I now knew where Eli got his smirk from.

I watched as Ryan's face went from being a cocky asshole, to one of a scared little man. He slowly let go of my collar and backed away.

"Now listen up, dude. You're gonna leave this young lady alone. You're gonna pack all your shit and move out of this house. If you don't, I'm pretty sure the police would love to get involved. I'm also sure that someone in jail would love to make you their bitch." Chet chuckled while walking forward to put his arm around my shoulder.

Ryan glanced from Chet, down to me and back to Chet. He started to walk inside and get his stuff when he muttered, "You're gonna regret this, Clare."

Chet heard him and rushed towards the house, pinning Ryan against the door. "No, she won't. And if you threaten her again, I'll be sure to make you MY bitch before the police have fun with you."

**One Week Later**

I sat in my room with my laptop in my lap. I opened up a blank document and started to write.

_All is well in my house now. After the little show down between Ryan and Chet, Ryan left. He didn't want the police breathing down his neck. When Ryan was no longer in the house, I cleaned up a bit and moved some stuff around. As I was going through my mother's stuff, I found a document stating that only I had permission to take money out of the bank account. Somehow, Ryan copied the document and forged his signature and name into the fake one so he could take out money. I figured that was way worse than being hit, so I reported him. He ended up being taken to jail. Forging is a really serious crime. Unfortunately for him, he thought he was being picked up on abuse charges and confessed to everything. I won't be seeing him for a while. _

As I was typing away, an IM popped onto my screen.

**GreenEyedPunk: **Hey there, Cinderella ;) You busy?

**BlueEyes17: **Not really. Why? What'd you have in mind?

**GreenEyedPunk: **It's a surprise :) All I ask is that you wear your Halloween Dance costume..

**BlueEyes17: **What? Why? Haha.

**GreenEyedPunk: **Like I said, it's a surprise. Now please, just put it on. I'll be there in five.

_GreenEyedPunk has signed out._

I suddenly got butterflies in my stomach and walked over to my closet. I pulled out my costume and smiled, remembering the night of the dance. It was such a wonderful night, even though Eli hadn't known who I was at the time. As soon as I pulled on the costume, the doorbell rang. I took my time going down the steps, I really didn't wanna be in this costume right now. I opened the door and to my surprise, Eli was in his costume as well. The black tights, black boots, dark green coat..everything the way he wore it the night of the dance. A smile instantly spread across my face.

"I know it's not my entire costume, but I kind of lost the mask after the dance." I said as I invited Eli into the house. I didn't need my neighbors seeing us like this. They're probably think we were weird.

"It's why I came over. I believe this belongs to you." Eli smiled as he pulled my mask from behind his back. "May I?"

I nodded, giving him permission to put the mask on me. As soon as the mask was planted over my eyes, Eli pulled me into a kiss.

The dark Prince finally claimed his Gothic Cinderella. Even though things didn't go as planned, everything played out perfectly in my eyes. What can I say, dreams do come true. Even for those who think they're worthless.

**Sorry if this was still confusing, haha. I kind of rushed through the ending. I'm really sorry. If you liked it, then yay! :) Yes, this is the ending to this story, so don't tell me to continue. I need to start working on only one-shots now. Let me know what you're thinking, REVIEW! :)**


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